Computer simulated aircraft motion is defined by around a dozen aerodynamic coefficients. The aerodynamic coefficients are determined based on the aircraft design and detailed aerodynamic principals. The aerodynamic coefficients are difficult to adjust if one desires to instill different flight characteristics for an aircraft. Many times, an aircraft manufacturer is requested by a customer (e.g., commercial airline or military service) to modify aircraft in order to provide certain flight characteristics.
When this occurs, the aircraft manufacturer would like to provide a simulation aircraft model that accurately reflects desired changes in the flight characteristics. The customer presents the new simulation model to its pilots to determine if this is an acceptable modification change. At present, if the aircraft manufacturer was to change the flight characteristics, it would have to change the coefficients and provide these changed coefficients to the customer in its simulation. When this occurs, the aircraft manufacturer might be giving away its valuable trade secrets or other proprietary or confidential information regarding the flight characteristics of the aircraft.
Also, because of the complexity of the flight characteristics of the aircraft as they relate to the coefficients, only an expert with extensive aerodynamic and mathematical knowledge can effectively change the coefficients. Most likely, a customer or user of the simulation model would not posses the required knowledge and therefore not be able to accurately and efficiently make any desired flight characteristic changes.
Thus, there exists a need to quickly and easily change flight characteristics of flight simulation aircraft models.